1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to positioning devices for use in orthopedic examinations and/or operating procedures and more specifically to a limb restraint.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
During orthopedic examinations and/or operating procedures, physicians including orthopedic surgeons, radiologists and others were required to manipulate limbs to obtain desired spacial relationships between bones and/or joint components. Typically, when a fracture was to be set, one portion of the limb was held fast while the other portion was manipulated for alignment of the fractured segments. This procedure was often difficult unless the physician was assisted so that he could manipulate the distal or free end of the limb while the remaining area of the limb was held.
In instances wherein more than one person was employed during an operating procedure which required the application of various forces to a limb, control of the limb movement was difficult since the precise force applied by an assistant was not under the direct control of the operating physician.
In conjunction with the diagnosis, examination and treatment of knee injuries, the application of a restraintive force at the patient's thigh has been required. Such restraintive force permitted manipulation of the tibia by an examining or operating physician so that varus and valgus stresses could be applied to the knee joint. The applied varus and valgus stresses accessed areas of the joint to arthroscopic examination as well as surgical procedures.
A typical example of restraintive devices for use in conjunction with knee joint diagnostic procedures, e.g. taking arthrograms, was illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,297. The device disclosed therein included a suction mount for a smooth x-ray table and a pair of movable curved jaws. The jaws were positionable along a support plate and each engaged one of a plurality of notches in the plate. Because the adjustment mechanism for the jaws only provided fixed increment adjustments, precise control of the restraintive pressure applied by the jaws to the patient's thigh was not attainable. Furthermore, the jaw surfaces which abutted the patient's thigh were not protected and presented a possible source of injury. In addition, this device was not employable during operating procedures since the suction mount adhered only to the smooth flat x-ray table.
In the field of sports medicine, arthroscopic knee joint examinations and surgical procedures have accentuated the need for suitable limb restraints. One device which attempted to meet this need provided a metal restraint with movable C shaped jaws. A vise screw mechanism was utilized to position the jaws for adjustment of the restraintive force applied against the patient's thigh. Although the jaws were padded, difficulty was encountered in effectively using this device. A significant problem which has been encountered was that the physician was not able to monitor the restraintive force which was applied against the thigh. When excessive force was applied through the vise screw jaw mechanism, the device acted as a tourniquet. As such it presented hazards, interfering with the operation of the conventional tourniquet usually employed during surgical procedures and, in addition, damaging thigh tissue.